It was a day like any other
by Endymion Mallorn
Summary: Yeah, this is a new one for me. I wrote it before I started The World Darkens, and it's a part of why I wrote that. I loved the game, so I wrote. And I wrote. R&R!
1. The Beginning

Hey. My name's… well, I was born Edwin James Goddard. But around here, I'm known as the soldier Endymion. Endy to my friends. And you're now wondering, who could be the friends of an asshole adventurer like me? Well, I'm a member of Clan Dreadclaw. In fact, I'm pretty darn proud of being labelled as one of the main powerhouses of my clan, and we're one of the biggest and best clans Ivalice has ever seen. Scared yet, buddy? Good. 'Cause you ain't seen nothin' yet.

Hm. Intrigued, I see. That's good. You say you want to hear my story, such as it is? Well, alright then. Pull up a chair, get comfy. Because I used to live a live so different from this you'd never believe it. I used to be normal.

**_It was a day … like any other._**

I woke up at the crack of dawn, that was 5:30 AM, and made breakfast for me, my little sister and my mom. No big deal, it was absolutely normal for me. And after I woke them up and we ate, I went off to high school. Annoying classes from 8:10 to 2:30, interrupted by Hell, otherwise known as a snowball fight during gym, from 9:00 to 9:45; Purgatory, aka lunch, from 12:00 to 1:00; and Heaven, my computer class, from 1:45 'til the end of school. I was a nerd, and I'm still proud of it. It's how I survived in this crazy place. They say I seem to know what's about to happen before it does. Maybe I do, maybe I don't. But I think I know what this world is. And I'll explain it later. But after school, I went to my job at the library, getting crap pay for teaching people how to use the internet and manning the reference desk. But it was money, and…as that Roman emperor said, 'Money doesn't stink'. I came home around 9:30 every night, by which time mom had come home from her job and made dinner. We ate and I grabbed the computer for the night. I don't remember which Final Fantasy I was playing, but it wasn't 7 or up. It was one of the 'party control' strategy games, rather than an RPG. That and Sword of Mana are really great games. But that's another story for another time and in another world.

Well, I went to bed around 2 in the morning, when my mom got up and said I really should go. I kissed her on the cheek and went. I never said no to her, no matter how much I wanted to kill her. She had had a hard time, raising 2 kids alone. My dad was a good man…he was just dead of a heart attack. So there was nothing she could have done more. I went up, stripped, jumped in bed with my sister (yes, we both slept naked in the same bed. And NO, we never even…well, I never looked at her, that's for damn sure.), and conked out. Next thing I know, I'm wearing leather armor, holding a short sword, and I'm smack in the path of some pissed off Bangaa! Well, he and I got into a fight. I was pissed off at that punk. I barely noticed the judge. It was when he pulled out the X-potion and disappeared to "Prison" that I became scared. Luckily, next thing I know, this Viera Archer comes up and starts tossin' arrows at the Bangaa's buddy, y'know? So when it's all said and done, she asked me to join up with her clan. Said I looked like a Soldier and that's what they needed another of, desperately. I said, basically, where do I sign up? She laughed and took me to the pub. We all started talking, I told them what happened. They didn't think it was a big deal. But our main group was a Nu Mou White Mage by the name of Marain, a Moogle Black Mage by the name of Yuto, a Bangaa White Monk named Rimney, me, a girl soldier named Rinz, and of course, the archer, Kiera. After I met everybody, we were talking and we started talking about missions. I kept my mouth shut and just let everyone else do the talking and the thinking. I did my own figuring during the conversation. I realized that my best way to success was to join a clan and fight for them, since I'd later be able to take credit for things I never could have done.

It wasn't until much later we started to expand. But by that time, Kiera and I were a real item. I was 17 then, so I was already looking at girls. I looked at Rinz for a while, but I realized it would be so much cooler for me to have an exotic girl, and since Kiera was going out of her way for me, I said yes to going out with her. Oh, the stories I could tell about that! When my 18th birthday rolled around, Kiera took me to her bed, even though it was just a sleeping bag in the middle of a field. We made love that night, and I will never, ever forget that as long as live.

We started doing little crappy jobs, and I finally got tired of it and said to the pub owner here, "okay, what can we do that's a real challenge?". He told me all about the Clan Wars, and Borzoi and their supposed 'capo' that kicked everyone's asses. I shrugged it off. We were Clan Claw at the time, and we thought we were the best. We knocked down the Antlions, Clan Dip, and Clan Marble in our first shot out.


	2. The Plot Thickens

Then I heard about a thief. It was a quick and cheap mission, with a 600 gil info fee for a 6,600 gil return and a nice set of items. I went with Kiera and Marain and we dealt with him. Then the rumors started flying. Someone said he worked for Borzoi, and soon enough, there was proof. Their Capo, "Dread Raven" came after us. We went to the battlefield. By this time, of course, we had about 20 people. She had herself and some dumb Red Mage. We laughed. Me and Rinz defeated her personally with a single combo. Rimney and Kiera took out the mage. That's when we became "Dreadclaw". We stole her name and made it our own.

But, despite the kickass fighting, I've realized that here, I'm a part of something. In fact, 3 things. I'm a member of a Race, human. I'm a member of a Class, soldier, and member of Clan Dreadclaw. Never before had I ever been a part of a group. Nor had I been influential on any group I was in partially. Here, that all has changed. It's like I'm a different person, that this world is changing and taking me with it. I think I like that fact now. I have a girlfriend, I have a huge bunch of friends, and I have… I have a life that's my own.

We're now going on all sorts of missions. But the biggest changes that happened in my life were kind of weird. First, I heard about this Nu Mou, Ezel Berbier, and his "Antilaws". I, like everyone else, disliked the laws. When I heard that there was a way to get out from under their power, I loved it. Hell, I'd been sent to prison once. Can you believe that there was an R5 law against Fighting one day? I literally took one slash with my sword, and BAM! I'm in friggin' prison so quick that my head was spinning. I hated that place, and hated even more when they had to pay bail just to get me out of there. But I wasn't willing to sit 'round in that place any longer than I had to. So when I heard about these cards, I told everyone that we were going to Cadoan.

The Thief, Harol, looked up at me and spoke: "Why the hell would you want to go near that lousy place?"

I grinned: "Well, I think there's something there that will make us more powerful, and make every single one of us happier during engagements."

Sinon, a Blue Mage, looked down his hawklike nose at me: "This wouldn't have anything to do with those confounded 'Antilaws', would it?"

Yuto raised an eyebrow: "Antilaws? I haven't heard anything about that. What are you talking about?"

I started to respond, but of course, Sinon cut me off: "Antilaws are magic cards that can nullify certain laws. There are ones to defeat specific laws as well as much rarer ones that will eliminate all laws, from R1 all the way up to R5. Essentially, they provide a way around the laws, as well as allow you to use cards that put your own laws in place that the judges must enforce at whatever level is inscribed in the card. I, for one, consider it cheating. But, of course…", he sighed exasperatedly, "others may feel differently."

Our Gunner, Meigo, looked up and spoke, quietly and hesitantly: "Hey, uh, if there are no laws, doesn't that make it like, a jagd, kupo?"

A few of the others seemed a little worried at this, and Sinon looked rather pleased with his reaction. I was pissed, but couldn't do anything about the self-important bastard. He was a good ally, and he wouldn't be doing this if he didn't honestly feel something was wrong with it. So I looked over to Marain, who by this time had progressed from a White Mage to a Sage. I raised an eyebrow: "What's a 'jagd'?"

Kiera jumped up and yelled: "Jagds are evil! They're the way the Judges prove that we need them!"

Marain shrugged and nodded: "She's right. A jagd is what is referred to as a "lawless zone". They're places where no judges go and no laws apply."

I was now thoroughly confused: "So, uh…what's the big deal? Why don't all the clans want to fight there?"

Rinz, now a fighter, raised her voice, albeit quietly: "Because people can die there, Endy. Haven't you noticed that we all just get knocked out in combat, not die?"

I nodded, now a little worried myself: "I see what you mean, Rinz. You're right." I looked from her to Meigo: "No. It's not like that. Just because it stops the laws themselves doesn't mean it stops the judges. The Antilaws don't allow death, they just make engagements easier."

Meigo and a few others sighed in relief. Sinon was disappointed.

"So. Is it decided then? We're traveling to Cadoan?"

Everyone nodded, even Sinon and Marain. We broke up a bit after that, talking amonst ourselves. Marain, Sinon, Rinz, Kiera, Yuto, and Rimey came over to me, and I looked at Sinon. I was still annoyed: "Why did you argue with me when you knew the reaction it would provoke, huh?"


	3. Moving Forward

Sinon looked at me, just as sharply: "Because it needed to be said. Unlike you, I don't enjoy going off half-cocked and screwing up when you realize that you were wrong in the first place."

"Oh. So you think that these law cards will get us imprisoned?"

"Yes, I very well do. I refuse to be in any combat with them."

"Even the ones that actually add laws?"

"Even them, yes."

"Fine, Sinon. I give in. But you're into learning, right? Know thy enemy? Well, gee, I think you'd better go with me to at least see the darn things."

Sinon rolled his eyes and sighed, throwing his hands in the air: "How can I win? Alright, Endy, my friend. You have me there. If…and only if…we are not the only clanners I see in there, I will consent to you buying some. If not…you will not have my suport."

Everyone stayed away from me and Sinon when we argued, because we did it so often. Y'see, he's a great guy, but because he's so 'honorable', we don't always see eye-to eye on everything. But, hey. That's the way it goes sometimes. Nothing can be done about that.

That night, Kiera and I crawled into bed in the room we rented together. She looked at me: "Hon…can I ask you something?"

I smiled: "Anything, darling."

She put her arms around me and whispered: "What if Sinon's right and we all get sent to prison over these antilaws?"

"Well, if we get sent in, there'll be a whole bunch of other clanners there too. We'll break out. Defy the damn judges."

"We can't, though. They give us the safety to fight…we give up a little freedom. That's always been the deal."

"Well, screw the deal. I'm tired of them jerking me around every time I engage. I'm not taking any more of that crap, I'll tell you that. If it means we have no judges, no laws, and no safety net, fine. I'll stop fighting. I'd love to. I'd love to settle down on a nice farm and live out the rest of my life with you by my side."

Kiera just smiled, oddly, and whispered: "I'd like that."

With that, she kissed me and we went to sleep.

The next morning, we got our crap together, loaded up our carts, and went off to Cadoan. We got there that evening, and looked around. Nothing looked strange, but I knew something was up. There were signs of an engagement, so we walked very slowly to the inn. I asked the barkeep. He told me exactly what I wanted to hear, and I was so glad I didn't know how to react. We got our rooms, and went to go clean up. About an hour later, I heard a knock at the door: "Yes?"

"It's Sinon, Endy. Open up."

I walked over to the door, hand on my sword. It was him, dressed in his normal robe…he looked odd: "Hey, Si. What's wrong?"

"Oh, nothing's wrong. But you know how I was so against the antilaws?"

"Yeah. How could I forget?"

"Well..ah…I think you should see this."

Sinon pulled out something that looked like a normal playing card, except it had a lightning pattern on it and writing in the language I had gotten used to seeing around magic: "So. What is it?"

"It's an antilaw, Endy!"

"You've had it for how long and you didn't tell me?"

Sinon looked down, a little upset at himself: "I've had it since Berbier enlisted me. I helped him create the first ones. That's why I dislike them so much. We did get sent to prison, he and I. He now has some kind of antilaw that nulls everything, and not even Lord Cid can do anything about it.


End file.
